1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to gold mining apparatus and more particularly to a novel gold mining pan having means for improving the efficiency of the panning operation.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Heretofore the manual panning of gold from stream beds has been accomplished using metal pans of various configurations but generally consisting of a flat bottom with sides obliquely sloped away from the vertical so as to enable a slurry of water and sand to be swirled around in the pan. The purpose of the swirling action is to keep the sand particles in suspension in the water and allow the heavier gold particles to settle to the bottom of the pan. As the sand suspension is swirled in the pan, the pan is tilted slightly so as to allow the slurry to exit over the side of the pan leaving any gold which may have precipitated out in the bottom of the pan. This is of course a relatively long and arduous procedure and one that involves considerable skill and dexterity if one is to separate substantially all of the sand from any gold dust or gold particles which may have precipitated to the bottom of the pan. Although the gold dust settles to the bottom of the pan during the first few swirls of the slurry, it takes numerous swirls to eject the majority of the sand leaving only the gold behind. Accordingly, the use of such devices to effect separation without also dumping gold dust involves backbreaking work and requires a considerable amount of time.